Pizza Boscaiola (Woodsman's Mushroom & Sausage)

Boscaiola means 'from the woods' in Italian, and this is one of the great Neapolitan pizzas - earthy mushrooms and crumbled Italian sausage on a bubbling mozzarella base. The secret is getting your mushrooms properly golden before they go anywhere near the dough. A pizza oven does something special here: the blistering heat chars the sausage edges while the mushrooms pick up a smoky depth you simply can't get from a kitchen oven. This is autumn comfort food at its best.

Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough ball (about 250g - see our Classic Neapolitan Pizza Dough)
• 150g mixed mushrooms (chestnut mushrooms are reliable; use porcini if you can get them)
• 1 Italian sausage (about 100g), casing removed and meat crumbled
• 125g mozzarella, torn into pieces
• 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
• A small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat your pizza oven to 400-450°C. While it heats, prepare the toppings.
2. Slice or quarter the mushrooms depending on size. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over high heat, add the garlic, then the mushrooms. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden and any liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Squeeze the sausage meat from its casing and break it into small, rough pieces. Fry in the same pan as the mushrooms (or a separate hot pan) for 3-4 minutes until browned and cooked through - raw pork sausage will not cook safely in a 90-second pizza bake.
4. Stretch your dough to about 12 inches on a well-floured surface. Transfer to a floured peel.
5. Scatter the torn mozzarella across the base. Distribute the sauteed mushrooms evenly, then dot the crumbled sausage between them.
6. Slide into your pizza oven and cook for 60-90 seconds, turning regularly with a turning peel for even charring. The sausage should be cooked through and starting to crisp at the edges.
7. Finish with the chopped parsley and a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve immediately.